July 17, 2012

As far as I'm concerned, online shopping is among the best inventions ever. These days, Amazon is pretty much my general store (especially since I have an Amazon Prime account) and I go to malls so infrequently that I'm starting to remember each trip as if it were a special occasion.

Up to now, however, there was one type of clothing that women really needed to buy at a department store: bras. I'm here to tell you that things have changed thanks to the launch of True&Co.

I first read about them in late May and I was instantly intrigued by the possibilities of a bra fitting algorithm based on the fits of top brands that would allow you to order without having to measure.

Because I was in the market for some new bras anyway, I went ahead and signed up, went through their questionnaire, paid the $45 deposit, and waited for my shipment of five bras (three I chose from the selection produced by the questionnaire results, two they chose for me) to arrive.

The questions revealed that the company has done thorough analysis of the specific fit of pretty much every bra brand on the market. They asked you to really think about your own fit needs and how they could be improved upon.

The popularity of the new site meant that my order was delayed until late June, but that was fine. When the box arrived, I waited until a convenient morning and proceeded to check out what they had sent.

Just being able to try on the selections in my own bathroom rather than in a dimly-lit dressing room was a huge selling point all by itself. I made my way through the different styles, rejecting one because the fit was a little off, another because the lace was too scratchy. Two of them were pretty much perfect, albeit quite different from one another. A third was really pretty, but just a little too fancy and in a hot pink color that I would never have chosen. I almost kept it anyway, but decided to let it go back.

At $45 each, I thought the price was quite reasonable. I'd been spending $60 on my heretofore favorite style at Nordstrom and these new ones fit considerably better.

I was very impressed at every stage of the process and there is no doubt in my mind that I will be ordering from the company again. Score one more point for online retail!

It arrived yesterday and it's a really nice, solid piece of barware. I selected it in part because I love a good pun as much as the next person, and it turns out to be based on a classic design from the 1930s—which makes sense considering that you don't hear the word "hooch" much these days.

This is the kind of device that you'd expect to provide a lifetime of use. I'm happy to have graduated from the cheap, breakable corkscrews to something that is likely to last into the 2030s and beyond.

I opened a bottle of pinot grigio to test it out and it easily removed the synthetic cork. It's big and sturdy enough to stand on the counter and I like that both wings can be used to remove bottle caps.

So here's where you come in. Red Envelope is providing a $50 merchandise credit to one lucky reader.

To enter, please like them on Facebook and leave me a comment saying which of their home bar gifts or personalized pub glasses you would choose for yourself or as a gift for someone else this year. (If you win, you can order whatever you like, so don't overthink it.) Deadline for entries: Sunday, November 20, 2011 at midnight Central standard time. Make sure you provide your email address so I can get in touch with you if you win. Winner will be selected by random drawing.